


Fear Follows

by NeoAsh



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: Asavoid au, Gen, I tried my best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:07:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7968898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoAsh/pseuds/NeoAsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't matter what he tries, he still ends up in the void every night.</p><p>Ian has nightmares about the televoid, and it's starting to have negative affects on his waking hours. His friends are there though, and they care, so it's not all bad. </p><p>For EllieofMidnight's asavoid au because Brutalmoose angst is my life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fear Follows

**Author's Note:**

> Bad dreams aren't what scare us at night. The silence afterward is what truly scares us, because no one is scarier to us than ourselves.

He was beginning to think it wasn’t just a dream.

Every night was the same; Ian would fall asleep, wake up in the almost empty room, then have the feeling of being watched mix with a feeling of utter isolation until he woke up crying. When he finally does wake up, his eyes sting and his thoughts are clouded. 

The awful dream room was causing Ian a lot of problems. No matter what he tried the problem never got better. He tried sleeping for shorter periods of time, but even if he was only asleep for an hour he still woke up feeling as if he’d been in the room for days. He tried sleeping pills-the strong kind that are supposed to knock someone out cold-but it didn’t make a difference. He got the same result with meditation. He still dreamt about the room. 

It probably wouldn’t be so bad if it would stop making Ian so spacey. One minute he would be sitting in class, talking with Luke or taking notes, and then all of a sudden everyone would be gone. Someone, usually Luke or Hana, would be there trying to get his attention and telling him he’d missed the lunch bell. Again. He blanked most often while he was walking though, and it wasn’t just annoying it was dangerous. Ian once almost walked off the top of the staircase, and falling down a flight of stairs was not an ideal way to start the day.

The room...the void...wasn’t even anything scary. Not at first, at least. The walls were dark: pitch black. There was a comfy chair, and a homey looking potted plant. There was even an old T.V. That television was the bane of Ian’s existence. It never played anything. It just broadcast static for the endless amount of time he was there. No matter where in the room he went the static never got any quieter, and it never stopped. He felt like the scratchy sound was aimed straight at his brain because it filled his head until thought wasn’t possible. It clung to his eyes until he saw nothing but black and white lines. It invaded his ears until the sound burned into his memory; until it felt like it was the only sound he’d ever heard.

The worst part though, even worse than the television, was the little red light. Near the corner of the room was a tiny, blinking red light. A camera. Ian had searched high and low, over and over, for the camera that the light said must be there, but he never found it. He concluded that it must be inside the wall. There was no way to know, he’d tried to break down the walls before, but no matter what he tried nothing happened. It didn’t make a difference.

Lately, Ian had been feeling like the room was following him. Like, somehow, it was real and was trying to impose on Ian’s reality. On his way to Bluebell one afternoon Ian had seen a plant. The plant itself was innocent enough, expected even, Asagao was very well landscaped. No, the problem was that it looked almost exactly like the plant. The potted plant that sat next to him every night in his personal hell. Had that always been there? Had he just never paid it any attention, or did it just appear? If the plant was here, hiding, were other things? Where was the camera? Was it watching him, even now, even while he was awake?

It was the first panic attack Ian had ever had.

There were too many questions. There were too many doubts, and Ian couldn’t handle it. He needed to get away but his lungs constricted and he couldn’t breathe. His vision swam and his legs gave out. As he collapsed he could hear yelling in the distance. He stayed stuck in a loop of wonder and worry and doubt, unable to move, for a long time. It felt like a long time anyway. The room had taught him that his concept of time isn’t very reliable. At some point he felt something warm around him, felt movement, but it didn’t make any sense. When the movement stopped he began to hear voices again, but this time they were much quieter than the yelling from earlier. He tried to focus on the words instead of how they sounded. 

“...an, can...me..” 

That didn’t make sense. He tried to push back the static in his head, tried to hear the voice’s words again.

“Ian, can...hear me now?” 

Oh, they were asking him a question. Something about hearing. He nodded his head yes.

“I need you to count to ten with me,” they said. He still couldn’t tell who they were, the face was blurry and he still couldn’t breathe very well. He tried to do what they asked anyway.

One, two, three...breathing was a little easier. Four, five, six...his vision was clearing up. Seven, eight, nine...The static in his head was gone. Ten…

Ian breathed a sigh of relief. One deep breath and then another, and he blinked away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. He had been crying? That was surprising. He heard his name being called again. When he turned around this time, he recognized who had been speaking to him. It was Jeff. 

Shoot. “Uh, hey Jeff,” ouch, that’s what he went with?

Jeff had a rarely seen seriousness about him. It was unnerving, but not unexpected. Ian knew how much Jeff cared for his friends, and he wouldn’t take something like this lightly. “Ian, are you okay?”

No. As long as he had to keep going back to the room, he couldn’t be considered okay, but Jeff didn’t need to know that. So instead, he said “yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for snapping me out of that.”

Jeff’s eyes flashed. “You're welcome, but that isn't what I asked.” 

Crap, he caught it. Ian knew he my might, but hoped that his friend would let it be. He didn't like lying, but this was necessary. He couldn't talk about the nightmare that seemed to follow him, he just wouldn't know how to start, or how to explain the terror that gripped him without sounding crazy. 

“I'm okay Jeff, really-”

“You literally just had a panic attack. Don't sit there and tell me you're okay when clearly something is seriously messing with you.”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“You never wanna talk about anything, but this is serious. I'm worried man, and Luke is too. He looks at you with his sad eyes any time he thinks you aren't paying attention, which is a lot more than usual by the way.” 

Jeff looked at him expectantly and Ian bowed his head in guilt. He had noticed that Luke was more on edge than usual, but he didn't know it was that bad. He definitely didn't consider that it was because of him, but in retrospect he supposed it really should've been obvious. He really should’ve expected this; his friends were more observant than people gave them credit for. 

“Look, I know that I’ve been pretty out of it for awhile, but I really don’t want to talk about it. I appreciate the concern, and I’m honestly grateful for your help, but I just can’t do it.”

Jeff stared at him, and for a moment Ian thought he was going to keep asking, but Jeff only sighed. He seemed resigned as he said, “Yeah, alright. I’ll drop it for now, but don’t think we’re done with this. I’m at least going to walk you back to your room.” 

Ian sighed too, but it was in relief. He nodded to Jeff, and the two set off to Bluebell. If Ian made sure to look directly ahead the whole walk until he was safely inside, then neither he nor Jeff mentioned it.

**Author's Note:**

> So...I probably won't continue this. I have another chapter in mind, and I'm on board if someone wants more, but I have a lot of homework, and I'll lose steam. This is the first thing I've posted here, so tell me how I did if you want. Also, new televoid coming out either this month or next and I'm already so hype. Hope your day is a good one <3


End file.
